Winter Jobs
Dennis McDermot Bsc Presents: Winter Bonsai Care Tips.
Shielding Bonsai from Frost: Preparing for Chilly Nights
If not already done preparation should be made to protect Figs and other sensitive bonsai from the frost if you live in a frost prone area. If you only have a couple you might then want to shift them inside the house, verandah or any other protected position on selected nights when frost looks likely to develop. Cloudless still nights are the ones that usually promote a ripper of a Jack Frost!
Winter Tranquility: Observing Tree Transformations and Planning Ahead
Not much will be happening on the majority of your trees over the next couple of months. Deciduous trees will be providing you with dramatic silhouettes and possibly highlighting areas of your tree to work on for the following season. Some Conifers will get a bronze tinge to their foliage and other Evergreens such as Cotoneasters and Azaleas may get some red and orange colouring depending on how cold it gets this winter. Some of these changes can really worry people, but I can assure evergreen trees especially the JBPs.
Strategic Repotting: Early Considerations for Deciduous Trees
Ideally most of your trees should be re-potted prior to bud swell. However if you have many deciduous trees to be re-potted, time constraints can make this ideal approach near impossible. So you may want to start re-potting some early shooting or Winter Flowering trees in June/early July. Trees that should come under consideration for early re-potting are; Mulberry, Chinese Elm, Japanese Flowering Cherry, Japanese Flowering Apricot, Japanese Flowering Quince, Chinese Quince, Pomegranate and pears.
Winter Wiring: Sculpting Trees Amidst Dormancy
Winter is an ideal time to do wiring on Evergreen or Deciduous trees. With the foliage disappearing from deciduous trees it makes it exceptionally easy to see the branch structure and wire to an organised shape. Because of the lack of growth on our trees the wire can stay on longer and therefore have a greater chance of successful shaping.
Deciduous Tree Care: The Importance of Annual Repotting for Vigorous Growth
For a lot of the faster growing deciduous trees annual re potting gives you strong steady growth on a consistent basis on your tree. Some trees, if left 2 or 3 years without re potting can really have a quiet few years in development. So particularly if you have a younger tree and are looking for strong vigour keep them re potted regularly. This will also depend on the amount of sunlight your trees get as any deciduous trees kept in a part shade position will certainly not fill its root system in a pot nor put on top growth compared to a similar tree in full sun. The use of different potting mixes can also be another variable for consideration.
Combatting Curl Grubs: Early Detection and Vigilant Removal
During re potting work you may have the misfortune in finding Curl Grubs in some of your pots. For those of you who are not familiar with this destructive pest they have a white body an orange brown head and strong mouth parts and usually rest in a "U" shape. They chew on the trees root system robbing it of its fibrous roots. I feel the best prevention of major damage is early detection. Detection can be made by noticing a lack of growth on your tree or inconsistent growth, dieback on the tips of branches, loose unstable trunks or if you push your finger through the soil surface and it moves down too easily. Unfortunately a lot of the time you only realise when you sight them during re potting of a tree. When you do find them remove every single one of them large or small. They can get wedged tightly right up into root systems so you may have to shake all the soil out to get them all.
Non-seasonal Remedies for Curl Grub Control: Submersion with Condy’s Crystals
If you suspect that some may be in your tree but it is not the right season for re potting I would suggest you try and drown them in a weak solution of Condy’s Crystals. Totally submerse your tree for a day or two and some will crawl out of the pot and others will just drown in the root system.
After re potting a dose of Seasol will help the root system get back into full swing at a much faster rate as well.
August Pruning and Positioning: Nurturing Early Shooters and Optimising Space
By the end of August early shooting deciduous trees such as Elms and Maples can have their first pruning to encourage multiple branching rather than long elongated growth. Elms can have their growth go out to up to 4 sets of leaves and then be reduced down to 1 or 2 sets of leaves. And the ever-vigorous Japanese maple should have the centre pinched out after it has put out its first set of leaves to keep a tight internode structure. Any noticeable die back in the branching from over the winter should be pruned off to maintain a tidy structure. Make sure your trees are adequately spaced from one another on the benches so the growth of one bonsai doesn't inhibit the growth of another. You may have adjusted a certain tree's position in your backyard for winter so don't forget to re-work the positioning of all your trees for the coming warmer months ahead.
Spring Repotting: Evergreens and Conifers Take Centre Stage
Most of your deciduous trees re potting would have been completed, however from mid-August through to mid-Spring is an optimum time to re pot some evergreen trees. Some species suitable for this period include Privet, Olive, Pyracantha, Cotoneaster, Corokia, and Buxus among others. Most Australian Natives are also suitable for re potting during this time before they put on a growth spurt. Conifers in general can also be re potted with priority to Pines, Cedrus and Picea species. Juniperus, Chamaecyparis and Cryptomeria species can also be re potted but it is not as crucial to fit them in this period as they have a more flexible potting period of well into spring till early summer.
Boosting Fertilisation: Enhancing Nutrient Uptake for Optimal Growth
Fertilising can be stepped up as well. Trees recently re potted would have had some slow release fertiliser applied in the mix. However it doesn't hurt to supplement with some organic liquid fertiliser feeding every 2-3 weeks. Try and use 2 or 3 of different ones in rotation as most often different fertilisers have different volumes of trace elements.
Transitioning Figs for Spring: Optimizing Sun Exposure for Vigorous Growth
If you have had Figs in a protected position over the winter or under shade cloth to protect them from frost they can now be repositioned for the coming spring. Figs (except sandpaper figs) really thrive in an open full sun position, so if you want that vigorous strong growth, shift accordingly.
Revitalising Companion Plants: Pruning for Spring Growth
Companion plant material such as Blood Grass and Bamboos that have died down over the Winter to a withered and dried appearance can be cut back down to ground level. This will create a much fresher tidier look when the new shoots start coming through in the spring rather than intermingled with the old withered shoots. To bring the new shoots on quickly the plantings should be placed in full sun and liquid fertilised regularly.
Finally, with exhibitions coming up, now is the time to isolate trees that are to be displayed and give them some extra attention. If the moss has died off during the winter, new moss should be reapplied and given ample time to establish before the exhibition. If moss is hard to find, a thick covering of pebbles will do a similar job. When pruning your tree make sure it is done well before the exhibition so the tree has ample time to fill out again and not look freshly cut. Thoughts on display tables or mats should be considered as well as companion plants to complement your Bonsai. Early preparation saves a lot of worrying at the last minute